Summary

Chapter 7 begins on the evening of the day Noemí went to visit the clinic and Marta’s house. She attended another family dinner, this time without Howard. During the meal, Florence scolded Noemí for driving herself to town and smoking in her room. Howard wanted to see the family after dinner. In his room, Howard asked Noemí to sit beside him. Noemí noticed two oil paintings depicting two similar-looking young women. When she asked Howard about the women, he said that they had been his wives, Agnes and Alice. He went on to explain that the two had been sisters, orphaned cousins of his who he had taken in. Howard defended his choice to marry the younger Alice, saying that Agnes had passed away less than a year after she had become his wife, and that there had been “no suitable grooms for...